site.btaBorissov, European Court of Auditors President Lehne Discuss Effectiveness of Pre-accession Funds for Western Balkans

Sofia, May 14 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and European Court of Auditors (ECA) President Klaus-Heiner Lehne Monday discussed the effectiveness of the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance for the Western Balkans in the context of their integration, the government information service said.

The European perspective of the Western Balkans countries is key to regional stability and security, said Borissov. He stressed the importance of investing considerable financial resources in support of policies including strengthening the rule of law, administrative reform, environmental protection and infrastructure. He noted that those countries need the EU's support for their Euro-Atlantic endeavours so as to boost regional cooperation in all areas.

Nearly 17 billion euro has been allocated for the 2007-2020 period in pre-accession funding to the Western Balkans countries. The ECA finds that on the whole, this financing has been spent effectively despite certain flaws of the national authorities, and has backed the incipient reforms. Lehne recommended further support for regional cooperation and employing political dialogue to achieve results, especially in the rule of law and public administration.

The ECA President commended Borissov for his proactive role in the process of integration of the Western Balkans and said he expected positive results after the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia on Thursday.

Lehne and Iliana Ivanova, the Bulgarian Member of ECA, are in Sofia for a High-level Conference on "The Role of the Supreme Audit Institutions in Enhancing Accountability, Transparency and Integrity in the Public Sector", organized by the Bulgarian National Audit Office as part of the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency.